Wandering Gigai
by Nutmeg615
Summary: What happens when Hitsugaya leaves his gigai to wander while he's off fighting Hollows? Who is this woman desperately trying to save his gigai? She piqued his curiosity. What will happen between them? Hitsugaya OOC & OC. COMPLETE! ENJOY! Read and review!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Ownership of Hitsugaya does not belong to me... if only wishes came true.**

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Hitsugaya enjoyed the park. He always spent time here relaxing when he was in the human world. The park was peaceful. There were lots of trees and a little lake in the middle. He had seen lots of different kinds of people in the park. Young and old came here. It always amazed him at the number of people in the park.

The spirit phone in his pocket began to beep. Hitsugaya popped the "Soul Candy" and the shinigami left his gigai in the park. He hoped it would stay where it was. There had been a few times when he had returned to it only to have to search for where it had wandered off to.

Summer enjoyed the park. She liked to come here after work to wind down. The park was filled with so many interesting people. She liked to people watch. It was one of her guilty pleasures. The spring was her favorite time when the cherry blossoms were in bloom. She loved to watch them dance through the air as they fell.

As a single girl, she scoped out the guys while she walked through the park. She had met someone here once before but he had turned out to be a real creep and that relationship was over faster than it had begun.

Summer shook her head, her dark pink hair swaying behind her. She wasn't going to think about him again. She hadn't thought about him in a long time but it always brought back painful memories. Summer detoured off her normal path and made her way to the lake. The water relaxed her. She could sit for hours and watch the water.

It was the splash that brought her out of her thoughts. It sounded like someone had gone into the water. She looked over toward the dock. She could see white hair bobbing on the surface of the water. She didn't realize she was running to him. He wasn't surfacing. Summer reached in and clasped his hand. She pulled him onto the dock. He didn't appear to be breathing. She looked at him and began performing CPR.

Hitsugaya defeated the Hollow easily. It hadn't been that much of a threat. He made his way back to the park. His gigai wasn't where he had left it. 'Stupid artificial soul,' he thought as he went looking for it. He saw a group of people gathered on the dock. He could see the young woman with dark pink hair. She was pushing on someone's chest and then bent over him. Hitsugaya stepped closer. He had a bad feeling about this.

There lying on the dock was his gigai completely soaked. The woman was pushing on his chest and then putting her mouth on his. She repeated these 2 steps over and over. Hitsugaya remembered hearing about this in the Soul Society. It was called CPR. Humans performed it to keep other humans from dying.

His mind was racing. There was no easy way out of this. He knelt down beside his gigai and watched her. Her purple eyes were filled with concern. "Please don't die," she said quietly between breaths. Hitsugaya looked at her. She was really pretty. He quickly merged with his gigai as she placed her mouth over his. Taking a breath, he slowly opened his eyes and coughed.

Summer helped him sit up. "Are you ok?" she asked. He nodded. He could still feel her mouth on his. It was a very pleasant feeling.

"Thank you. I'm not usually that…" he trailed off. Why was his gigai in the water?

"I've told someone to take a long walk off a short pier but I've never seen anyone actually do it."

"I, uh," What could he say? "I was deep in thought. I guess I wasn't paying attention." He ran a hand through his hair.

Summer stood to leave. Although she wanted to stay and talk to him more, she needed to leave before old mistakes were repeated. Hitsugaya stood with her. The crowd of people began to wander off. "I'm Hitsugaya Toushiro," he said as she turned away.

"My name is Summer. I have to go. I'm sorry." She ran from him. Ran out of the park and back to her apartment. Hitsugaya watched her. It took all he had not to follow her. He knew that he would be visiting the park more often and looking for her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer - Toushiro does not belong to me... unless you count my action figure. ;-)**

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Summer walked down the street with her bags in one hand, her cell phone in the other.

"I just don't know what to do. I can't stop thinking about him. I dreamt about him last night," she said into the phone. She wasn't paying much attention to the scenery as she walked. She was used to walking these streets. Summer listened to her friend's advice. "I will," she agreed. She hung up her phone and continued down the street.

Summer noticed the air around her seemed cooler all of a sudden. She looked around as if awakening from a dream and she saw him - standing on top of a building leaning over the rail.

"Toushiro!" She ran into the building. As she emerged onto the roof, she dropped her bags.

Hitsugaya turned when he heard her. He knew she couldn't see him. He glanced and saw his gigai. How in the world had he ended up with a gigai that stupid? The Hollow attacked and he dodged. He saw Summer appear on the roof. He had to drag this battle away here.

"Stop. Toushiro." Summer called as she ran to him. "What are you doing?" She grabbed his shoulder and pulled him away from the edge.

"I was just looking!" the gigai said.

Hitsugaya cursed as the hollow looked at the rooftop. The noise had pulled it's attention. It reached toward the roof.

"No!" He screamed, as he released his shikai. The Hollow turned and Hyourinmaru's chain missed its mark.

The gigai saw the Hollow behind the girl in front of him.

"Protect her!" Hitsugaya called as the Hollow reached onto the roof.

Summer felt something scratch her back as the boy pushed her to the ground.

Hitsugaya knew he wouldn't miss this time. He leaped and sliced the hollow in 2. It vanished and he rushed to merge with his gigai.

He looked at the scratch down her back.

"Toushiro?" she said faintly.

"Shh. You'll be alright," he said. Kido wasn't his strong suit but he knew enough. He healed the scratch and rolled her onto her back. She appeared to be unconscious. He laid her head in his lap and waited for her to wake up. Gently he tucked a stray hair behind her ear.

He wasn't sure how long she laid there. He knew the sun was beginning to set. He wished she would wake up soon so he could show it to her. As if hearing his thoughts, Summer stirred. She opened her eyes slowly.

"Toushiro?" she asked as she looked up at him. "What happened?"

He knew she was going to ask. He'd been thinking of an answer. He knew he couldn't tell her the whole truth. "Someone attacked us." He heard her gasp. "They were hiding up here because they thought I was alone. They attacked you from behind. I think your shirt got messed up." That was as close to the truth as possible.

Summer sat up slowly. "My bags," she whispered. Toushiro stood and went to get them. She looked through them and pulled out a thin hooded jacket. She put it on slowly, testing her muscles for signs of injuries. "They didn't hurt me?"

"No. They weren't very bright," he said.

"You saved me," Summer said as she stood. "Thank you." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

"Uh... You're welcome," he stammered. Their eyes met. He briefly wondered what would happen if he put his lips on hers. He inched closer. His eyes stayed on hers as if he was looking for an answer. Not seeing any fear, he took a breath and went for it. Toushiro placed his lips on hers gently. He felt her answer his kiss with her own. Slowly, Summer put her arms around his neck. Toushiro pulled her closer and put his arms around her waist.

They could have stayed like that if it weren't for the beep of a cell phone. Toushiro pulled the phone out of his pocket and checked it. Another hollow. He sighed.

"I have to go," he said to her. "It's work."

"Let's meet again," Summer said. He nodded and kissed her again. The phone beeped again and he hesitantly left her on the rooftop. Left her in order to protect her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Despite Dreams, Toushiro still does not belong to me.**

**AN: I dedicate this chapter to my best friend Tara. She really does date a chef and we do refer to him as "His Chefness". Enjoy!**

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Summer looked at her friend. She had been friends with Tara for a while. Tara was taller than Summer but most people were. She had dark purple curls that tumbled down her back. They were like sisters. Good thing was they lived together.

"Seriously?" Tara asked.

"Yes. He just looked at me and then he kissed me." Summer closed her eyes and brought it all back into her mind. It wasn't that she didn't want him to kiss her because she did. She was just shocked that he would.

They stayed up late into the night talking about Toushiro's kiss before finally Tara let out a huge yawn. "I have to go to bed. I'm supposed to meet His Chefness for an early date before he has to work." The two girls made their way to their rooms. Summer looked out the window at the moon and wondered if Toushiro was looking at it now. With him in her head, she fell into a peaceful sleep.

Tara and Summer spent the morning shopping.

"What time are you meeting him?" Summer asked.

"He called and we are going on our date tonight. He was called into work this morning." Tara frowned.

"Are you going to the festival next week?" Summer asked as they walked into a store.

"I think so. His Chefness mentioned it." Tara looked at Summer. "You should invite Toushiro." Summer blushed.

"I could do that. I'd have to find him again. I didn't get his number last night. Of course, that means I need a new yukata." Summer wiggled her eyebrows at Tara. They laughed. Neither of them noticed the tall strawberry blond in the store. Her ears had perked up when she heard his name... there weren't many people with the same name as her captain.

While women were shopping, Toushiro was making a purchase of his own.

"Thank you, Urahara," he said.

"Any time," the merchant said. "What are you planning to do with it?"

Hitsugaya looked at his purchase. Most people would look and see a watch. He knew that looks could be deceiving. "I have someone I want to keep track of."

"Problems?" Urahara asked.

"Not any more." Hitsugaya walked out. He slipped the watch on his wrist and set it.

Hitsugaya wandered to the park. He wondered if he would run into Summer today. He wanted to see her again but he was torn because he knew eventually he would have to go back to the Soul Society. His phone beeped and he looked at it. A Huge Hollow showed on his screen. It was close to him. He walked closer to the hollow before eating the soul candy.

"Cero?" he asked as he saw the red light. "Run!" He shouted to his gigai. The boy took off but it was too late. He was caught in the blast. It threw him forward and he hit a nearby tree. Rubbing his head, he stood again and ran out of the park.

Hitsugaya released Hyourinmaru and countered the Huge Hollow's next attack.

Summer and Tara were sitting outside of the Chef's restaurant enjoying their meal. They had power shopped all morning. They sat and chatted while they waited on their food. They heard the commotion from the other side of the street. Summer looked toward it. She saw him. His white hair was hard to miss.

"Toushiro?" she said as she stood. He was running as if running away from something. He made it across the street before he collapsed. Summer ran to him. She knelt down beside him. "Toushiro," she said softly. The gigai looked at her and then closed its eyes.

"Summer, I brought help," Tara said as she joined Summer. She looked up and saw Tara was right. The chef bent down and picked up Toushiro. He held him piggy back style and took him to the girls' place since it was closest.

"Thank you so much," Summer said as he laid Toushiro on the couch. Summer looked at him and noticed there were scratches on his face and arms. His black shirt was ripped in a few places. She wondered what had happened. She sat and watched him, willing him to wake up.

"Here," Tara said as she brought in some water, towels and bandages. Summer gently wiped at the scratches on his face. Nothing seemed too serious. They bandaged a few scratches on his arms.

Tara left to go on her date. Summer had insisted she go. She didn't want her best friend to miss out on what little time she had with the chef.

Summer curled up in the chair and waited.

Hitsugaya sheathed Hyourinmaru. This had been one tough Hollow. He had to release his bankai. He pulled the cell phone out of his pocket and flipped it open. He saw the blue dot on the screen and noted that his gigai was not moving. Hitsugaya flash stepped off to find it.

He stood outside the window and took in the scene. His gigai was lying on a couch. It looked like there were bandages on it. That wasn't what caught his attention. It was the girl with the dark pink hair asleep in the chair. He went in through the open window and merged with his gigai. He laid there a minute and watched her. It was late, a lot later than it had been when he went to fight the Hollow. He was exhausted from the battle and it was tempting to continue lying there with her close by.

Slowly he stood and walked over to her. Hitsugaya picked her up and carried her into her room. He laid her gently on the bed.

"Toushiro," she muttered.

"Shh. Go to sleep," he said to her. He pulled the covers over her and walked back into the living room. Quietly he let himself out.

Summer woke up early. She sat up quickly, remembering Toushiro had been there. It was then that she noticed the vase filled with daffodils. She knew they were from him. Just as she knew before she walked into the living room that he wasn't there.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Only my Stylish Hitsugaya figure is mine...**

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Hitsugaya sat on the roof a building. It was conveniently located across from Summer's building. He hadn't seen her since he left and that had been a week ago.

"Taicho!" Matsumoto called. "What are you doing?"

His reply was a grunt. Matsumoto had been spending her days in the real world shopping or eating weird foods with Orihime.

Matsumoto sat beside him. She knew he wouldn't talk about what was on his mind but she thought maybe one day he would.

He saw her come out of the building with her friend. It seemed they were always together. Matsumoto saw them too.

"I've seen them before," she said. "Where was it?" She thought for a minute. "Oh it was out shopping. They mentioned your name." She looked at him.

"What?" he asked.

"The one with the dark pink hair. She mentioned your name."

Hitsugaya sat for a minute and watched them walk down the street.

"Taicho, you aren't interested in her are you?" She asked playfully. He shot Matsumoto an icy glare. How did she know these things? Neither said anything for a few minutes. Matsumoto broke the silence. "If you like someone, you should tell them before it's too late. You should spend time with them before it's too late." She fell silent. Hitsugaya turned to look at her and saw she was gone.

"I give up, Tara," Summer said as they walked to work.

"On what?"

"On him. It's been a week and nothing. Nothing! He just disappeared in the middle of the night." Summer was angry and worried at the same time.

"Honey, you started it. You ran after you saved him in the park." Tara knew that Summer still had a vase filled with daffodils on her bedside table.

"I just don't know what to do. I found a guy I was interested in and I thought he was interested in me and he just disappeared."

"Maybe he's been busy," Tara offered.

"Maybe," Summer replied but she wondered if that really was the case.

"Whitey-chan!!" Hitsugaya cringed. Man, he hated that name.

"Bed Wetter Momo," he replied as she ran up to him.

"What are you doing?" she asked as they walked down the street.

"Thinking."

"About what?"

"Things." They walked in silence. "What are you doing here?"

"I had to pick up something," she said nervously. Hitsugaya didn't press the issue. "Look Whitey-chan!"

"Captain Hitsugaya!" Hinamori ignored him as she ran up to a poster on the wall.

"It's a festival. Too bad I can't come back for it in a couple days. Are you going?" She asked him. He grunted. "You should go. Maybe it will help you figure out your 'things'." She suggested. Hitsugaya shrugged and turned away from the poster. He was keeping an eye out for her. Just in case she was alone. But he didn't see her.

Summer ran through the park. She had seen him and he was with someone. They didn't act like lovers so she was pretty sure that there wasn't anything going on. The last guy she dated had cheated on her. It had broken her heart. Summer knew that Toushiro was not like him. She knew that he would never cheat on someone.

She stopped at the short dock and couldn't help but smile as she remembered that she had met him there. When he had opened his eyes and looked at her, she had felt a spark sizzle throughout her body. That scared her and she left without saying too much to him. She had never felt that with any other guy. She had clicked with Tara when they met but that was different that this. There was something between them and she wanted to see him again so she could find out if it was just her or if he felt this spark too.

Summer turned determined to ask him out on an official date. She didn't expect to see him standing at the end of the dock. She smiled at him as she approached.

"You looked deep in thought. I didn't want to bother you," Hitsugaya said.

"I was but I think I have it all figured out now." Summer walked over to a bench and sat down. Hitsugaya sat next to her. "Thank you for the flowers. I love daffodils."

"It was the least I could do." They sat together and watched the water. Both felt that nothing had to be said. This moment was perfect as it was.

"Toushiro, there is a festival in a couple days," Summer started. "Will you go with me?" She looked at him.

"A festival," he said. Must be the one Hinamori had been talking about. He would never tell his friend but he would much rather go if he were going with Summer. "Sure." Summer smiled.

Hitsugaya's phone beeped and he pulled it out of his packet and looked at the screen. It was a Huge Hollow. He looked at her. "I have to..." The phone beeped again. "Matsumoto?" He closed the phone and put it back in his pocket. "Looks like Matsumoto is taking care of it," he told her.

"Is that one of your coo-workers?"

"Yes. She is actually under me."

"Is she the girl you were with today?" Summer asked. He looked at her questionably. "Sorry. I saw you earlier today but you were with a girl."

"No. That was Hinamori. We grew up together." He left it at that. He had to be careful not to tell her too much about his line of 'work'. Summer mentally let out a sigh of relief.

The sun started to set and Summer looked at him and gathered her courage once again. "Do you want to go get something to eat?"

Hitsugaya though of his options; dinner with Summer or dinner with Matsumoto and Orihime, both known for putting together weird combinations. "Yes." He stood and reached out of her hand. They walked hand and hand to a nice quiet restaurant.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimser: Summer is mine... Toushiro is not... but still I keep waiting... **

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"Hinamori was the only friend I had when I was young." Hitsugaya wasn't sure why he wanted to tell Summer about his childhood. He never told anyone about it. "It wasn't that I was mean to them or anything. They were scared of me."

"Scared of you?"

"I looked different. They thought I looked cold."

Summer looked at him. She would bet that his temper would be pure ice, nothing like her own. She couldn't see the ice in him now as he sat across from her.

Their meals were served and Summer picked up her fork. Hitsugaya stared at her.

"How long have you been in Japan?" he asked.

"Tara and I came out here almost a year ago to teach."

"You've been here almost a year and you are still using a fork?" Summer blushed.

"I never got used to using chopsticks." Hitsugaya shook his head and then taught her how to use them.

"So what is it you teach?" he asked.

"English and Math," Summer replied as she maneuvered her chopsticks to grasp her food.

Neither of the noticed they were being watched. The chef had stepped out of his restaurant for a quick break when he noticed them. He snapped a photo of them with his phone and sent it to Tara.

"Taicho?" The chef looked at the woman who had stopped next to him. She too was looking across the street. "Excuse me, do you know her?" Matsumoto asked.

"Yeah. She's a friend of my girlfriend." They both watched Summer and Hitsugaya for a minute before the chef left to go back inside.

Standing there alone, Matsumoto watched her Captain. "I guess ice can melt."

"Summer! You can't go out to eat and not expect me to know about it!" Tara said.

"Sorry. I couldn't have really called you on the way there. We were together." Summer smiled. "It was a spur of the moment thing." She walked into her room and Tara followed. Summer opened her closet and dug in.

"What are you looking for?"

"I need a yukata. A really nice one since the festival will be our first official date." Summer shot Tara a smile. In the back of her closet, Summer found her old yukatas. They seemed so childish. Disappointed, she sat on the bed.

Tara sat next to her. "So I take it we are going out tomorrow to find one." Summer smiled.

"We have to go in the morning. I'm meeting Toushiro tomorrow afternoon."

Summer and Tara were on a mission. Summer wanted a yukata that was mature looking but not matronly. They had been to several stores and had found nothing. Summer knew this was the last store. She was running out of time before her date.

Summer looked through a rack and didn't see anything she liked. The store clerk came over and offered helped.

"I need a yukata. It's our first date." Summer explained. The clerk nodded and stepped away. Tara joined her as the clerk returned with a box. The lid was lifted carefully and Summer stared at the yukata inside. It was perfect. "I'll take it."

Summer and Toushiro walked down the street.

"Where are we headed?" he asked.

"I was thinking the zoo. I haven't been to the zoo since we've been in Japan."

Hitsugaya thought for a minute. He couldn't remember if he'd ever been to the zoo. They walked and made small talk on the way there. They were almost at the zoo when Hitsugaya's phone went off. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at it. A Gillian was attacking near by. He looked to see if anyone else had gotten it. He prayed someone else did and closed his phone.

As he dropped the phone back into his pocket, it beeped again. It looked as if he was the closest to it. He didn't want to go which was unusual for him. He wanted to stay here with Summer.

"Summer I have to leave. I have to take care of this." Summer saw the regret in his eyes.

"It's ok. It's your job." She smiled at him.

"You're way more understanding than me," Tara said.

"I know but what was I supposed to do? Tell him not to go?" Summer was a little upset that her date had been cut short - extremely short.

"Do you know what he does?" Tara asked.

Summer shook her head. "I never asked but a part of me thinks he wouldn't tell me. Like it's something secretive."

It was getting late when they heard a knock on the door. Summer looked at Tara. "The chef?"

"I don't think so. He would have called." Tara got up and answered the door.

"Is Summer here?"

"And you are?"

"Toushiro Hitsugaya."


	6. Chapter 6

****

Disclaimer - Still waiting for Hitsugaya to belong to me... don't think it will ever happen...

Hitsugaya stared at the girl with the dark purple curls.

"Sorry. We haven't met. I'm Tara, Summer's roommate."

"Nice to meet you. Is Summer here?"

"Sure. I'll get her for you."

"Who was it?" Summer asked when Tara returned to the room.

"It's for you." Summer looked confused but she walked to the door.

"Toushiro?" She wasn't expecting to see him. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see if you would go somewhere with me." Why was he fumbling with this? He felt very out of his element asking her to join him.

"Sure." Summer grabbed her cell phone and tucked it into her jeans pocket. She put on her shoes and they walked out the door. "Where are we going?"

"Someplace I saw earlier." He had seen it during his last hollow fight and knew it would be perfect. They walked silently through the park. The moonlight dotted the path as it peeked between the leaves. Hitsugaya lead her into the trees. Summer had never been in this part of the park before.

"Be careful," he warned as he weaved through the trees. Summer followed his every move. She watched as the trees got closer together. There was very little light in this part of the woods. Summer wasn't sure how long they walked through the thick trees. She lost track of time. The trees began to thin some and Summer could see a little better as the moonlight peeked through the trees. Toushiro stopped.

"It's right through here," he told her. He took her hand and led her through the last of the trees.

Summer's breath caught in her throat. They were in a clearing that over looked the city. The moon was full and right over their heads. Summer could see so many stars from where she stood. She let go of his hand and walked further into the clearing. There was a fallen tree and Summer sat on it and tried to take it all in. Hitsugaya leaned against a tree and watched her.

"It's so beautiful," she said. "I never knew there was something like this here." She could see so far from where she was perched. It was breath-taking. Hitsugaya came over and sat next to her. They both sat and watched the lights and stars. Summer saw a shooting star and made a wish.

Summer slowly opened her eyes. She felt the warmth of someone against her. She saw that he was carrying her out of the park.

"Toushiro, what happened?" she asked.

"You fell asleep." She had laid her head on his shoulder and dozed off. Feeling content, he let her sleep for a while before he had picked her up and carried her towards her home.

"Sorry I fell asleep on you."

"It's fine. You mumbled something about an emotional roller coaster."

Summer was trying to remember exactly what she had said. It had been a day full of ups and downs – finding the perfect yukata, meeting Toushiro, him having to cancel their date – and that had all been before noon. Then there was the text message that bothered her.

Hitsugaya felt her shift. "What's wrong?" he asked as he continued to walk.

Summer shook her head. "Nothing. I just got a really weird text message this afternoon." She hadn't told Tara about it. There were a few things she wanted to figure out before she made assumptions. "I thought it might have been sent to me by mistake." He could hear the doubt in her voice.

Hitsugaya stopped and put her down. "What did it say?" He was concerned. Summer looked up at the moon; anything to avoid his glare. Hitsugaya grabbed her hand, forcing her to look at him.

With a quiet voice, Summer said, "It's been a while but you'll be mine again soon."

"Do you know who sent the message?"

Summer shook her head. "It was blocked."

"Is there anyone who would…?"

"Not that I can think of. That's why I think it was sent to me by mistake."

Hitsugaya dropped the subject and walked her home. If someone was threatening her, he would protect her.

"Wow," Tara said as Summer walked out of her room. "Honey, you are going to knock his socks off with that."

"Perfect. I have to leave or I'll be late. We'll meet up with you at the festival," Summer said.

Toushiro was waiting for her when she arrived. For a minute, he just stared. She looked beautiful in the midnight blue yukata with pale pink cherry blossoms dancing all over it. Summer was starting to feel a little self conscious.

"You look beautiful," he finally said. Summer smiled at him. He had debated on wearing his shinigami uniform but decided against it. Instead, he wore grey slacks and a black shirt. Hitsugaya took her hand and together they walked into the festival.

They met Tara and His Chefness at the goldfish booth. Hitsugaya was introduced to the chef and the two shook hands. He noticed the chef has also opted against a kimono. Tara was holding a bag with 2 fish in it.

"He caught them for me," Tara told her.

"Are the fish going to be living with us?" Summer asked.

"If they lived with him, his cat might not let them live." Summer looked at Toushiro who knew that now he had to catch goldfish.

"How many do you want?" he asked.

Summer looked at him for a minute. "You can't catch them all," she said. Hitsugaya smirked and something told Summer that he could and would catch them all. "Just two. They can all live together."

The girls carried the fish as the guys walked to a booth to get food and drinks.

"Tara wanted me to tell you that Summer's birthday is in a couple of weeks. We were thinking of having dinner at the girls' place. You should come."

"When exactly is it?" Hitsugaya asked.

"When else? Summer solstice."

Hitsugaya shook his head. "I'll be there."

They stood with a crowd of people and watched the fireworks explode overhead. There were so many! Big, beautiful flowers made of light. Hitsugaya watched as the colors danced over Summer's face. He took her hand in his and leaned in to kiss her cheek. Summer turned to him and kissed him.

"Tonight has been so great. Thank you," she said, kissing him again. The lights danced across the sky. Summer and Hitsugaya stood hand and hand and watched them. Hitsugaya felt he was being watched. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing up. From the shadows where no one saw, some one was watching them.

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	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Toushiro is mine in my dreams... that's it.**

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The longest day of the year was also going to be the hottest day of the year. Hitsugaya just happened to be spending it dispatching Hollows. It was difficult for him to remember when he last fought this much. They didn't seem to stop. He had somewhere he wanted to be tonight and he didn't want to be late. He wanted to spend the end of the day with her.

Hitsugaya studied the Hollow. He wasn't about to be late because of it. He had made a promise and he didn't want to back out on it. He hadn't been able to see Summer as much as he would have liked since the festival. The mission seemed to get in the way. He didn't want to admit that the mission was wrapping up. Everything was coming together. It meant he would have to go back to Soul Society without her. Carefully planning his next move, Captain Hitsugaya called out Hyourinmaru and quickly dispatched of the Hollow.

...

"Taicho, where are you going?" Matsumoto asked as he headed for the door.

"Out. Take care of any Hollows that come up," he said as he closed the door behind him.

Orihime walked into the room. "What's wrong with Toushiro-kun?"

"I wonder," Matsumoto said as she looked at the window and watched her captain walk away.

...

Tara opened the door and placed a bright yellow lei over Hitsugaya's head. He looked at it and then at her. Tara was wearing one too.

"She was worried you wouldn't come," Tara told him as he walking into the apartment.

"Something came up," he said.

"Good to know you made it. If you had hurt her today, I would have had to hurt you," Tara said. Hitsugaya wasn't sure if she was serious but he wasn't ready to push his luck.

"I have no intentions of hurting her," he said.

"I don't think you do." Tara paused. "We're like sisters. I've seen her hurt before and I don't want to see it again."

Hitsugaya thought of Hinamori. "I completely understand." Tara smiled at him. Hitsugaya followed her into the living room. He could hear Summer talking but he didn't see her.

"I'll go find her," Tara said as she left Hitsugaya alone. He wandered over to the fish tank in the corner and watched the 4 festival fish while he waited. He saw her reflection in the glass and turned to watch her.

He heard her say goodbye and she looked at him. "Sorry. That was my parents."

Hitsugaya shook his head. "It's ok." He looked at her a moment. "Summer, I'm sorry I haven't been around a lot lately. Work's been hectic."

"It's ok. Tara and I have been really busy lately. We have to get ready for classes." She took is hand and led him out to the patio. "It's such a nice night," Summer said as she looked out at the sunset.

Hitsugaya jiggled the contents of his pocket. He had never really given anyone a gift before. He took her wrist and clasped the bracelet to it. Summer looked at it and saw that it was a charm bracelet. She smiled at the daffodil charm that fell from it.

"It's beautiful. Thank you."

"Happy Birthday."

"Summer, where are you?" Tara called from inside the house.

"Hide me," Summer said with a giggle. Hitsugaya looked at her. "She's trying to do worse than this to me." Summer tugged on his lei.

"What is this?" he asked.

"A few weeks ago I mentioned to Tara that it would be fun to have a Hawaiian themed party. I never thought she would actually do it."

"If I have to wear this, you have to wear one."

Summer scrunched her nose up at him and went inside. Hitsugaya looked out over the railing. He felt like he was being watched. The laughter brought his attention back to the party. He walked in and saw that she was right. It was worse than just a lei. Tara had her put on a grass skirt and had a lei bracelet on one wrist. His bracelet glistened on the other.

"They're always like that," The chef said as he walked over to Hitsugaya. "Summer will get Tara back with something worse. Probably just one day out of the blue, knowing Summer." The chef looked at his watch and walked away. Hitsugaya followed him into the kitchen.

"Is there anyone else coming?" Hitsugaya asked.

"Didn't Summer tell you? It's just the 4 of us." The Chef picked up a bowl and began whisking.

"We hadn't talked about it really."

Tara walked in to get the table ready. Hitsugaya walked back out to the living room. She was standing in the middle of the room, staring at her cell phone.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

She started to say no but she decided to tell him. "Another anonymous text. This one just says Happy Birthday." He started to say something but Summer shook her head. "I'm not going to let it spoil my day. I'm not going to let it bother me."

...

The Hawaiian theme was in their meal too. The chef has cooked a menu inspired by the tastes of Hawaii. The table had been decorated with Hawaiian party favors. Hitsugaya watched her all night. She didn't let it bother her but it bothered him. All through dinner she had laughed and talked like nothing had happened.

Hitsugaya walked back out onto the patio with her.

"Thanks for coming and thank you for my bracelet," Summer said as she took his hand.

Hitsugaya looked at her. He couldn't resist as he brought his lips to hers. Everything faded for him but her. What was it about her that drew him in? What was this feeling he felt? It was something he had never experienced. He didn't want to let her go but he knew that some day, it would have to end. He wasn't ready for it to end just yet.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: The rights to Hitsugaya still belong to Tite Kubo**

* * *

He didn't know it was going to be this hard to say goodbye to her. Hitsugaya had thought of several ways to tell her but nothing seemed right. In the end all he had told her was that he would be gone for a while but he would be back. Summer had just replied with an 'I'll wait for you'. Something in him felt relieved when she had told him. He laid on the futon and tried to sleep. When he finally drifted off, he dreamt of her.

_Hitsugaya was in a castle. He knew Summer was somewhere in there. He heard her scream. It echoed through the castle. He ran up the steps and ran into someone. They tumbled into a different room._

"_She's mine. Mine!" The other man screamed. Hitsugaya shot him an icy glare._

"_You can't have her," he said calmly._

"_But she's mine," The other man protested. _

"_You can't have her because you don't love her," Hitsugaya replied._

_The other man nodded. "You're right. I don't." He stood and dusted himself off and left. Hitsugaya looked up and saw Summer watching him. She was smiling at him. _

He woke with his own words ringing in his head. 'You don't love her,' he thought to himself. "But I do," he said aloud.

Hitsugaya quickly dressed and left Orihime's place. He stood on the rooftop across from Summer's apartment. His traveling cloak was blowing in the warm breeze. It was still dark out but once dawn broke, he would have to leave. He stood there and made a silent vow to protect the woman he loved. He would deal with whoever was bothering her when he returned.

…

The mission wore on. It had been a week already and there were no signs of it letting up. Matsumoto studied her captain. Something had changed in him. He wasn't as cold and serious as he used to be. It was still work first and play later but she had seen times before the mission that he himself was slacking. She had also noticed that he was putting her in charge more often during that time. Matsumoto thought about the girl she had seen her captain watching. 'Maybe he's found himself someone he's interested in,' she thought to herself. 'It's about time.'

…

Summer stared out the window. Tara watched her friend. She knew that Summer was missing him. Summer looked at Tara. "Sorry. My mind keeps wandering." Summer shook her head to focus on the lesson they were working on. Tara reached in her bag and pulled out a wrapped gift. "What's this?"

"Think of it as a late birthday present." Summer tore open the wrap and saw it was a photo of her and Toushiro. They were kissing. Tara had taken the photo at Summer's birthday party. "I didn't want to ruin your moment."

Summer smiled. "I think that was when I fell in love with him." She looked at the picture again, then stood and hugged her best friend. "Thank you."

…

Summer spent her evenings in the park. Some days she walked leisurely, some days she ran. It helped keep her from wondering when Toushiro would come back. It had been nearly three weeks. She wanted to talk to him so bad. She didn't notice that as she ran tonight that she was being followed. She didn't notice that he had been following her most nights. Tonight was different for him. He called out her name.

Summer turned at the sound of her name and stopped. She looked at the man with the dark hair and dark eyes. His hair had gotten longer than it was before. "Kei?"

"I thought that was you," he told her as he walked over to her.

"What do you want?" Summer asked. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing up. It had been over a year since she had last seen Kei. They had dated briefly when she came to Japan. She had found out that he had been cheating on her and she quickly ended things. It took a while for his calls and text messages to stop. She had forgotten about him.

"I just want to talk, Summer," he said. "You never let me explain what happened back then."

"I don't need an explanation," Summer told him. "I can't stay. I have to meet someone." She turned to leave but he caught her wrist.

"Don't go, Summer. Can't we talk about this like adults?"

"There's nothing to talk about, Kei. I'm with someone else now."

"Who? That white-haired freak?"

"Don't talk about Toushiro like that." Summer could fell her temper rising.

"Where is he now?" Kei teased. "Where is he, Summer? I don't see him around."

"He's at work," Summer stammered.

"Liar. He doesn't want to be with you."

"You don't know him," Summer said quietly. "He's not like you." She hadn't noticed how close he had gotten. Quickly, his arm came up around her throat and he dragged her off the already empty path.

"Summer, you should know, if I can't have you, no one can."

…

Summer looked at the chain that came out of her body. She was a little confused. Curious, she touched it.

"That is your chain of life." She heard from behind her. A tall woman with strawberry blond hair came up to her.

"My chain of life? It's not very long."

"That's right. It's been severed. You have died."

"Who are you?"

"You can call me Rangiku. I'm a shinigami. I'm here to help you move on to the Soul Society."

Summer eyes filled with tears. "I can't leave. He'll never know how I feel about him," she muttered.

Rangiku took the badge off her sash. "Take this. When you get to the Soul Society, find the Captain of the tenth division. He'll be able to help you."

Summer looked at the badge. It was the number 10 and a daffodil. Summer tucked the badge into her pocket. She looked at the shinigami before her. Rangiku touched Summer's head with the her sword and Summer vanished.


	9. Chapter 9 Final Chapter

**Disclaimer: Hitsugaya is not mine... he probably never will be but that's why we write this - right? **

* * *

Hitsugaya knocked on the door and Tara answered. He saw that her eyes were wet with tears.

"Are you ok?" he asked. She looked at him and then lost her composure. Tara leaned on him and cried. Comforting a crying woman wasn't Hitsugaya's specialty. Somehow, he managed. After a few minutes, Tara sniffled and turned away from him.

"Summer was... She was..." Tara took a deep breath. "Summer was killed."

"What?"

"Her ex-boyfriend killed her. She called me while she was talking to him. I don't know what all happened. Her cell phone cut off before he killed her. I know she said something about texts he had sent her. Something she neglected to tell me. It sounded like he was stalking her for a while. He mentioned you." Tara trailed off. "He killed her. She was so happy with you. Why? Why did she have to die?" Tara ran out of the room and Hitsugaya heard a door slam. He noticed a photo on the table and picked it up. It was of them. Taking it with him, he let himself out and headed to Urahara's to return to the Soul Society.

…

Summer looked around her. The streets were covered in dirt and the housing was a bit shabby. She looked at herself and saw that her chain was gone. Reaching into her pocket, she found Ragiku's badge. The shinigami had never told her where to find the Captain of the tenth division. Summer decided she had to ask someone. She spotted a man with red hair and tattoos. He was wearing a uniform like Rangiku had on.

"Excuse me," she said. She showed him the badge. "I am looking for..."

"Ok. Come on." He grabbed her wrist and pulled her down the street.

"Where are you taking me?" Summer asked.

"It's a crime to steal from Shinigamis. Rangiku wouldn't say where her badge was. Since you have, you must have taken it from her."

"No. She gave it to me," Summer explained. "She told me to give it to her captain."

"Be quiet." He said as he pulled her through the gates. Summer saw that they were entering a different part of Soul Society. This part looked like the higher class. She watched the buildings as he drug her through. She saw one with a 10 on it. That must be where Rangiku wanted her to go. Stopping in front of the 6th building, he opened the door. The shinigami led her down a hall and into a small room. Summer saw the iron bars.

"No," she gasped.

He put her in the jail. "Welcome to Seireitei."

Renji walked back to the tenth division building. "Captain Hitsugaya, I found Rangiku's badge. The thief who took it is being held in the sixth division cell."

"Thank you Abarai," Hitsugaya said not really paying attention to him. He wasn't worried about Rangiku's badge at the moment. He knew there was more to it that she had said. His mind kept drifting to Summer. He wished he could have seen her one last time.

Summer wasn't sure how long she sat there and waited. She sat in the corner with her knees against her chest. How was she going to find the captain she was supposed to be looking for? She heard voices in the hallway. The last person she expected to walk through the door was Toushiro but there he was. She stood as he walked into the room.

"Summer?" Hitsugaya opened the cell and walked in. He took her into his arms.

"I thought I'd never see you again," they said in unison. Hitsugaya kissed her forehead.

"Toushiro, you have to help me. I tried to tell the other guy. I didn't steal anything. She gave it to me. Rangiku gave me her badge and told me to find the captain of the tenth division."

Hitsugaya smirked. "Summer, I am the captain of the tenth division."

Summer looked at him in disbelief. "What?'

"Rangiku Matsumoto is my lieutenant." Hitsugaya took Summer's hand and flash stepped away with her.

"Where are we?" Summer asked.

"I grew up here," he told her. They sat on the back porch and he told her everything about being a shinigami and his mission where he met her. "The mission was over and I knew I had to leave but I wanted to see you again. You weren't there. You were already..." he trailed off. "I wanted to tell you that I loved you."

Summer throw her arms around him. "Toushiro, I love you, too." He leaned in and kissed her gently. He wasn't going to let her go again.

…

Summer was excited about her new job. She was ready. This wasn't any different than what she was doing when she was alive. It seems that Captain Hitsugaya talked to those in charge and got her a job at the Shinigami Academy. She was teaching again. Shinigamis needed to learn foreign languages after all.


End file.
